Polymerizable liquid crystal compositions are useful as members constituting optically anisotropic bodies, and the optically anisotropic bodies are applied as, for example, a polarization film and a retardation film to various liquid crystal displays. The polarization film and retardation film can be formed by applying a polymerizable liquid crystal composition to a substrate and then curing the polymerizable liquid crystal composition by heating or irradiation of active energy rays in a state in which the polymerizable liquid crystal composition is aligned by an alignment film or the like. The resultant films are required to be uncolored and to have no occurrence of cissing and have good alignment. The term “cissing” represents a phenomenon that when a polymerizable liquid crystal composition is applied to a substrate, depressions reaching the substrate occur.
In general, polymerizable liquid crystal compositions for coating each contain a polymerization initiator, a surfactant, a polymerization inhibitor, and the like and are used in a state of being dissolved in an organic solvent. A method proposed as a method for producing a polymerizable liquid crystal composition includes adding a photoinitiator and a surfactant to a polymerizable liquid crystal composition to prepare a mixture and then dissolving the resultant mixture in an organic solvent at a concentration of 25 wt % (Patent Literature 1). Also, a method including stirring and mixing a polymerizable liquid crystal compound, an optical photopolymerization initiator, a polymerization inhibitor, and an organic solvent at 70° C. for 30 minutes and then returning the temperature to room temperature is also disclosed (Patent Literature 2).
However, polymerizable liquid crystal compositions produced by known methods have the problem of coloring property of films produced by application to a substrate and the problem of the occurrence of cissing.